WATSONVILLE, CA - As we settle into the months of autumn, a bevy of delicious strawberries is coming to market. California Giant Berry Farms has forecasted strong volumes of its cornerstone product out of the Santa Maria growing region, arming its retail partners with a formidable fall crop.

“Strawberries have faced a taxing year, but California Giant grower partners and the industry as a whole are resilient,” shared Nick Chappell, Director of Sales. “We’re happy to have rebounded from a challenging year despite the setbacks faced.”

The berry purveyor is reporting its fall crop volumes are increasing week-over-week in the Santa Maria region, with steady volumes anticipated to continue through October. Volume from Mexico is expected to arrive toward the end of this month, complementing the supplier’s year-round strawberry offering. As a press release noted, this supply is bolstered with conventional and organic fruit from the Oxnard region, followed by fruit from Florida arriving in early November.

To support this influx of strawberries, the brand is harnessing Instacart advertising to drive purchase intent for fresh berries, in addition to launching a consumer engagement sweepstakes to further increase brand awareness and demand.

These high yields follow a challenging year of suboptimal weather, the company explained, though California Giant is on track to continue to deliver the high-quality strawberries it is consistently known for.

The high-quality fruit of this season comes at a time when consumers are enjoying year-round berry availability more than ever, as recent USDA data reports that gains in retail per capita consumption for berries have been very strong compared with many other fresh fruits. Data also shows that strawberry consumption specifically has grown from 4.6 lbs in 2011 to 6.7 lbs in 2021, an overall gain of 45 percent.

ANUK will continue to bring forth crop updates like this one, so be sure to check out our next update.

California Giant Berry Farms